If a Tesla Cybercab fleet were profitable, Tesla wouldn't sell you one

Bit of a weird world where we don't have self-driving cars but we did manage to automate the writing of articles lamenting that fact.

Opportunity cost is the standard, not profitability. Companies generally try to invest in their core competencies and outsource the rest. The Nvidia deal with Groq is an example. They spent $20B for Groq's inference technology while leaving their profitable cloud services business alone. Selling shovels instead of mining gold can be a rational choice even when gold mining is profitable. And the shovel companies do better when gold mining is profitable.

Amazon subcontracts their delivery services, so there are probably additional factors driving Teslas decision.

My guess is the insane liability a car accident can create. Trucking companies have had to pay out millions, even for accidents where they weren’t at fault.

Not really, kind of like Uber doesn't buy its own cars. The CyberCab owner provides the capital and parking spot and some maintenance, while Tesla takes a cut, just like Uber does. I'd be happy to have my car earn money for me while I'm away at office or away on a business trip.

accountability sink

Dumb take but but I guess that journos gotta earn a living …

I bet his draft folder has a doc with the title “if US treasuries were profitable, US gov wouldn’t sell you one”

[dead]

The reason Tesla won't sell me one is that I'm not buying anything from Musk.